Word
bowser
Phoneticsbows·er
/ˈboʊzɝ/
Definitions
01emergency water tank
n. a large, mobile water tank used to give people fresh water when the normal pipes are broken.
n. a mobile water tank deployed to distribute fresh water in emergency situations where the piped distribution system has failed.
“When the main pipe burst, the council sent a bowser to the street so people could fill their buckets.”
“Following the contamination of the local reservoir, the utility company dispatched several bowsers to provide the village with a temporary supply of potable water.”
British English
Usage
Commonly used in civil engineering and emergency services contexts.
Synonyms
02fuel pump
n. the machine at a petrol station that measures and pumps fuel into a car.
n. a fuel metering and delivery pump at a filling station.
“He pulled the car up to the bowser and started filling the tank with petrol.”
“The service station attendant noted that the third bowser was malfunctioning and required immediate calibration by a technician.”
British English · Dialect
Usage
Primarily used in Australia and New Zealand as the standard term for a petrol pump.
Teaching tip
While understood in the UK as a tank, this specific 'pump' meaning is highly characteristic of Australian and New Zealand English.
Synonyms
03fuel transport vehicle
n. a vehicle or trailer used to carry fuel, especially for planes at an airport.
n. a road vehicle or trailer designed for the transport of liquid fuel, particularly aviation fuel at an airfield.
“The aircraft was refuelled by a large bowser on the runway before takeoff.”
“Ground crew directed the fuel bowser toward the waiting jet to ensure the tanks were topped up before the long-haul flight.”
Technical
Usage
Often used in aviation and military logistics.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Residents depend heavily on Tata water bowsers, which he said do not reach all communities and often provide insufficient water for both domestic and livestock use.” Etymology
* (liquids): From Bowser (“a surname”), named after Sylvanus Bowser, US inventor of the first fuel pump; also a trade name of SF Bowser inc., the inventor's company. * (Irish)
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/bowser